A few simple painting tips can turn those bright, yellow walls into the soothing, sage green room you’ve been dreaming of. Like it or not, painting a room is one home-improvement project that most of us will face at one time or another. Sound scary? Relax. Painting a room is one of the easiest and most cost-effective jobs you can do to upgrade your living space. With a few simple painting tips and the right tools, you are well on your way to the updated living space you deserve.

Essential Resources

One of the most important room painting tips doesn’t involve painting at all. First, focus on your preparations. Nothing destroys the flow of a great paint job more than discovering you have the wrong roller or have just run out of tape. Try to set aside a full day just to brainstorm your plans and gather the resources you will need to get the room prepped so that you can start fresh with painting the next day. These are the tools that you will need to paint the average room:

* Plastic wrap or tarps to cover furniture and canvas drop cloths to cover floors. Do not use plastic on the floor, as the surface can get slippery. If you are worried about the carpet underneath, use newspapers on any areas that paint may spill.

* Choose the right brushes. Use natural bristles for oil-based paint, and synthetic for everything else. It will save time if you use the widest brush thatfeels most comfortable. Rollers and handles. Rough nap rollers are for textured surfaces, and smooth or foam rollers are for drywall and other smooth surfaces. You might want to invest in an extension for the roller handle if you are doing a lot of ceiling work.

* Paint. Professionals use oil-based paint for trim, doors, windows, and cabinets because of its slower dry time and better finish. Latex can be used for ceilings and walls. Primer is a good idea to use first for a more professional job. Tinting the primer can save you that dreaded second coat of paint.

* Buckets and paint trays. Trays are for rollers and buckets are for brushes. Don’t dip your brush directly into the can as it can introduce dirt to your paint.

* Tape. Blue painter’s tape will help you get a sharp edge and won’t pull paint up when you remove it. You can also place tape around knobs and other hardware that you don’t remove to protect from splatters.

* Paper towels or rags. You will need lots of these, no matter how careful you are.

* Spackle or joint compound for filling in nail holes and small cracks.

* Sand paper and tack cloth to sand down any bumps and for picking up dust.

Preparation

Remove as much furniture as you can and stack the rest in the middle of the room so that it can be covered with plastic to prevent splatters. One of the most important house painting tips is to remove all of the hardware from windows, doors and walls. Yes, this means the outlet and light switch covers. You may think that you can paint around them to save time, but you can lose hours trying to scrape dried paint off of your fixtures. Professionals say that there is a special place in the underworld for people who paint hardware—don’t do it!

If you can’t remove hinges or doorknobs, cover them with tape. Be sure to store all hardware and screws in plastic bags that are marked so that you can easily put them back at the end of the job. You may think that it doesn’t matter which hinge goes with which cabinet, but it does, and you don’t want to waste time finding that out the hard way.If you have small cracks or nail holes in your walls, scrape a bit of compound in them and let it dry. Sand it smooth. Make sure your walls and trim are clean and free of dirt and dust. Going over all surfaces with a damp rag or tack cloth is a great painting tip that will keep your finished surfaces smooth.

Let’s Begin!

Painting day has arrived and you are wearing old clothes, right? This is not the time for your best dark-rinse jeans and Manolos. Painting is a messy business that calls for your oldest clothes and slip on shoes, so that you can take them off before you track your fabulous new color throughout the house. It might look funny, but a bandana around your hair is a great painting tip that can save you hours of shampooing. Latex gloves are a great idea, particularly for oil paint.If you are priming, follow the steps below with primer, wait the recommended amount of time and then repeat with your paint. If you are going straight to painting, follow these suggestions for the best application:1. Paint in this order: ceiling, walls, baseboards, door, door trim, and windows. Many people run tape around the top of the walls so that their edges come out even, but this step can be avoided.

When you paint your ceiling, run the ceiling color about one inch down the wall. Then, once it has dried and you are painting your walls, cut in the wall color leaving about ¼ inch of ceiling color at the top. Itis easier to keep your line steady and you will avoid those pesky wall color marks on your ceiling. If you feel that you won’t be able to keep a straight line with your brush, go ahead and tape around the perimeter of the wall. You would much rather take that extra step if it will assure a cleaner, smoother paint job.

*There are some unnecessary breaks and spaces in these sections2. Transfer some paint to a bucket and some to your paint tray. Scrape the roller pad witha 5-in-1 tool to remove any lint that might transfer onto the wall.

3. Use your brush to paint a four- to six-inch wide line around the edge of the room. It is a good idea to have two people working so that one can cut in and one can run the roller right behind to keep that “wet edge.” If you are working alone, do a small section at a time and follow up with a roller. Repeat this process with the walls.

4. When you are rolling the paint, one of the best wall painting tips is to work in a “W” pattern, going over your lines until the surface is covered.

5. If you need to stop, cover rollers and brushes with plastic so that you can pick up where you left off. They can also be kept covered in the freezer for up to a week.Changing the look of a room with paint may sound scary, but with these painting tips, you’ll be well on your way to fulfilling your creative endeavors and putting your ideas into action. . Allow enough time for prep and you will have a finished project that professionals will envy. The best part about it is that you did it yourself. Relish in your hard work!

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